So Amazed

Entertainment During a Doctor's Appointment

2012-01-30T22:46:00.000-06:00

How does a 14-year-old

Keep himself entertained in a doctor's office?

Let me show you how...

Very ingeniously...

With intent...

With motivation...

Very much effort...

Using scientific skills...

All in about 15 minutes! We didn't have to wait long but the time sure went fast with Kidlet Three entertaining The Husband and I!

Finding entertainment in a doctor's office is amazing! Leave it to Kidlet Three to find something fun to do.

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

2012-01-29T22:07:00.001-06:00

A recent supper of homemade french fries (baked), broccoli and Ultimate Chicken Fingers was enjoyed by Kidlet Three and I. If you'd like to try a healthier version of chicken McNuggets, give this easy recipe a try.

2/3 cup Heart Healthy (Gluten Free or Original) Bisquick
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. paprika
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 T. butter, melted

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Mix Bisquick, cheese, salt and paprika in a 1-gallon resealable bag. Dip half the chicken strips into egg; place in bag of Bisquick mixture. Seal bag and shake to coat. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

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These are actually fun to make and eat!

They Won!

2012-01-27T08:32:00.001-06:00

Kidlet Three's team won the game last night. For the most part, the players behaved and, Praise God, no one got hurt!

Now, on to the weekend hockey tournament where, believe it or not, the two teams could face each other again. Back to my praying position I go!

The Big Game

2012-01-26T06:52:00.003-06:00

Tonight is The Big Game. The Big Hockey Game. When Kidlet Three's hockey team was formed last fall, an equally talented team was also formed. One team is called The Red Team and the other is The Black Team. Boys that have played hockey with each other for years are now playing against each other.

The first time we played The Black Team it was a very, very close game and Kidlet Three's team won by one or two goals. But, many boys got hurt during the game because it got physical. These boys tend to get aggressive when they are playing against friends. There is a penalty in hockey called "charging". This means a player skates with intent more than three steps toward a player who doesn't have the puck. And the charging player body slams the other player. That happened to Kidlet Three in that game. He was charged and ended up with the wind knocked out of him and with bruised ribs. He missed school for a day and we spent money at the doctor with x-rays and a chat with the doctor. All because a hockey player was frustrated that his team was losing. And Kidlet Three happened to be in his way.

Side note: I understand the need to check in hockey to get possession of the puck. That is part of the game. There is a fine line, however, between playing the game and having intent to hurt someone.

Well, the second game of the season happened in a tournament after our team had played three games of hockey and our boys were pooped (Frozen Tundra language for tired). The other team had played two games and skated better so they won.

Tonight is the play-off game. Here it is at 6:30 in the morning and I woke up praying about this game already. I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I want to watch a good game of hockey and not watch Testosterone-Filled Boys flailing each other around like rag dolls.

It is The Big Game. Little do the boys know I've already invited God's Heavenly Host to fill the arena and to be on the ice all day long. I've asked God to allow those Heavenly Beings to remain there as bumpers for the boys so that no one gets hurt. And I'm praying for the referees to have eyes to see any penalties. And that the coaches would consider this Just A Game and not a revenge game. Included also in my prayers are the players and the parents.

God told us we could ask Him for anything. So I do. I love that about Him. He is so interested in everything and every part of our life. Even hockey.

He is amazing. Tune in tomorrow to find out the score of The Big Game.

Moms in Prayer

2012-01-24T08:15:00.000-06:00

I belong to a group called Moms In Prayer. The group used to be called Moms In Touch. Here is a quote from the founder of the International group:

“Yes, Moms In Touch has changed its name to Moms in Prayer International! Don't you love it? The name clearly and simply says what we do. We pray! No explanation is needed. We believe this new name will bring greater unity worldwide.”— Founder / President Fern Nichols

Two times a month our little group meets to prayer, out loud, for each teacher, staff, and student at the school where our children attend. We don't just pray for our own kids.

We realize that there just may be kids and families at that school that don't have anyone praying for them. So, we open the student/parent directory and we pray blessings over each and every student and their parents. By name. We pray for each one of them by name.

I totally believe in this organization and I totally believe in the power of prayer. Unfortunately there have been many physical fights in the Kidlet Three's school this year. Since our little group started praying through the directory and at each and every meeting we pray for peace in that school, I haven't heard reports of fights. Praise God.

Moms in Prayer. We might as well be called Mighty Warriors for the Kids In Our City!

If you would like to join a group in your community, or if you'd like to become more familiar with the group, click the link here. Moms in Prayer International. This is an amazing opportunity. And you are never too late to join.

Don't Chase Blessings

2012-01-22T16:23:00.001-06:00

Copied from Starting Your Day Right. Devotions for Each Morning of the Year by Joyce Meyer.

Blessed is the man whom You choose and cause to come near, that he may dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. Psalm 65:4

Instead of chasing blessings, we need to chase after God. If we chase God, He will chase us with blessings. That is why the kingdom of God is sometimes called "the upside-down kingdom."

God's economy doesn't work the way we think it would. First is last, and last is first. If we want more, we are to give away some of what we have. To be great in God's kingdom, we must serve the needs of others. And if we want blessings, we must get our mind off of them. God knows what we want and what we need. He wants to give us blessings that we haven't even verbally asked for.

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I love what Joyce Meyer wrote for my January 19 devotion. The only thing we should be chasing after is God. Amen. Period. I have heard people say we are going after such and such anointing/blessing. Ouch! When I hear that it is like a sword pierces my very spirit. Our energy should only go toward chasing after God and not His blessings.

Dear Ones, let us hold each other accountable for what we are pursuing.

Don't chase blessings.

Chase God!

Silly Boy

2012-01-21T21:26:00.001-06:00

Kidlet Three had an x-ray today. As we left the house for the appointment, I felt The Nudge to go back and get my camera. That All-Too-Familiar-Nudge that I know I need to be obedient too. So I grabbed the camera and off to the appointment we went.

As we sat in the waiting room, Kidlet Three started making faces to entertain me. It was at that moment that I knew why I was to bring the camera. With the flash turned off, Kidlet Three entertained me as I snapped, snapped, snapped multiple photos. It was quite sometime before he asked me if I really was taking pictures or just faking it...Silly Boy!!!!

For your entertainment, here is My Silly Boy in the x-ray waiting room on a Saturday morning...

Peace and Justice

2012-01-18T07:32:00.011-06:00

Traffic was moving slowly. It gave me plenty of time to stare at the bumper sticker for several minutes.

IF YOU WANT PEACE, SEEK JUSTICE

I let my thoughts wander about the words peace and justice as I continued to creep forward in the traffic.

Eventually I made it to the stoplight in the left lane of the two-lane road. The light turned yellow just as I was approaching the intersection so I stopped. The car next to me sped up and went through the intersection as did the car behind it. The second car definitely went through a red light.

Still musing on peace and justice I sat waiting for the light to turn green. When it did, I cautiously moved forward only to have one, and then two, three and then a fourth car making left turns pull right in front of me. The first and second cars got through the red light quickly but cars three and four caused me to have to slow down. Something came over me. I thought of that bumper sticker and the word justice.

Suddenly I wanted justice for their wrongdoing. I decided to not slow down. Car three barely got in front of me and I was not going to let car four sneak in. I kept going. Car four was going to get stuck in a traffic jam and I was going to get justice.

But no...the woman in car four gave me the finger and continued moving forward and almost hit me. Now my blood was boiling. I blared my car horn, shook my head at her in disbelief as she stared at me (giving me the finger). I let her pull in front of me and I yelled at her. Oh, I yelled loudly in my car.

Car four pulled into the right lane and was stopped in traffic. My lane continued moving ahead and it didn't take long for me to catch up with the Car-With-The-Bumper-Sticker.

IF YOU WANT PEACE, SEEK JUSTICE

There it was again. And this time, I felt sick looking at it. Because I had just sought justice and I certainly was not feeling peace. I had tried making someone "pay" for going through a red light and my actions were not peaceful.

My peace didn't come until I confessed, out loud, to God what I had done. Justice belongs to God and not me. After I asked God to forgive me, right there in my car, peace flooded in.

What if we all started living with justice as our goal. Oh icky, what would this world look like? I am still so embarrassed at my actions and how I allowed myself to get sucked into mentality. How about you? Are you living with this need for justice in your heart? I'd challenge you to really examine your life and see if you truly are peaceful. I just don't believe that self-seeking justice can and will bring peace. Let me know your thoughts on this.

Spaghetti Sauce

2012-01-17T21:32:00.000-06:00

I haven't made this recipe for Spaghetti Sauce in years. Tonight, however, Kidlet Three wanted spaghetti and I had no bottled sauce. It was quite a shock to look on the lazy susan and see that there was no Prego, Ragu or any brand spaghetti sauce. Good-Old Betty Crocker came through again. Somehow I remembered this good recipe and I just happened to have all of the ingredients we needed.

2 cloves garlic, cut into halves
2 T. olive oil
2 cans (16 oz. each) whole tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 T. butter
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. dried basil
Dash of pepper

Cook and stir garlic in oil over low heat.

Cook until garlic is brown. Discard garlic.

My boys won't eat chunky spaghetti sauce. Nor will they eat onions if they see them. I blended onion and all of the tomatoes until smooth.

Stir the tomatoes into the garlic-infused-oil, along with the butter, salt, sugar, basil and pepper.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, 40 to 50 minutes.

I cooked farfalle noodles, browned ground beef and made a wonderful feast for The Boys. A big ladle of sauce was added to the noodles and beef and then topped with shredded cheese.

If you are looking for an amazingly quick spaghetti sauce, check this recipe out. I will definitely be making this recipe again.

Greek Salad

2012-01-11T21:31:00.000-06:00

J and B brought this salad to a recent gathering of our small group. After one taste, I wanted to grab the bowl and just go hide in another room and eat the whole thing. It is refreshing and delicious and it has cilantro in it. Anything with cilantro in is a hit with me.

The big picture at the top was taken on Christmas Day. Yes, I served a Greek Salad as a part of my Christmas meal. Many of my family don't appreciate olives so I served the olives on the side. Here is a very easy, low-calorie, delicious salad.

4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and cut into chunks
1 small purple onion, peeled and chopped
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped fine
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 cloves garlic
2 T. dried oregano
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
2/3 cup pitted black olives
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Place first six ingredients in serving bowl. Rub the oregano between your hands and sprinkle over the vegetables. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over the salad. Add olives. Toss gently. Season with salt and pepper.

Calories 96. Calories from fat 52. Protein 4 g. Carbs 7 g. Dietary fiber 2 g. Sugar 3 g. Fat 5 g.

I was craving the salad again this week. I peeled two tomatoes and part of a cucumber and added the rest of the ingredients. It made a delicious lunch at work.

Oh I hope you find this salad as amazing as I do! Enjoy!

Dancing with Stars...NOT!

2012-01-06T22:36:00.000-06:00

Kidlet Three is 14-years-old and is in 8th grade. As he was going to bed last night, he started begging me to write him an excuse out of phy ed. He is very athletic and phy ed is usually his favorite class. It took a little coaxing before he would admit that the class is starting to learn ballroom dancing.

I couldn't help it but I laughed and laughed that he wanted to skip ballroom dancing class!

From a young age I've danced with Kidlet Three in the house. He has a great sense of rhythm and is a good dancer. At wedding dances, he has always been the kid that is on the dance floor all night long!

So having him NOT want to dance, is funny.

At 10 o'clock last night, in our pajamas, I taught him the box step. He caught on right away. I told him he would do fine in phy ed, tucked him into bed and we all went to sleep.

This morning at breakfast he started in begging me to pull him out of phy ed. Oh boy! I reassured him that the 45 minutes of dancing torture would go quickly.

As he ran out of the house to catch the bus, I yelled after him what I say every morning:

Bye!
I love you!
Have a good day in school!

This morning, Kidlet Three's response to me was:
Bye!
I love you, too!
Pray for me at 12:40 because that is when phy ed starts!

I almost fell off my chair! He hasn't asked me to pray for anything specific for a very long time. You can bet I was praying for him at 12:40 p.m.
School is over at 2 p.m. I called Kidlet Three's cell phone at 3 p.m. and he answered his phone saying:

Hi Mom! Ballroom dancing was really fun!

The teacher asked my partner and I to demonstrate because we figured it out right away!

Isn't that cute! When I got home from work he grabbed my hand and taught me the dance he learned today.

We won't make any sort of a spot on Dancing with the Stars but we sure had fun laughing and giggling in the kitchen!

My Heart Hurts...

2012-01-05T22:20:00.001-06:00

My heart hurts tonight after reading this story: startribune

I don't know this family and we don't live in this city but I love hockey and my heart hurts for this boy. Kidlet Three heard about this boy and was pretty shook up when he was telling me what happened. I then went to the website and read the story. I am shook up, too.

Kidlet Three has played in some pretty rough hockey games. I know how these "checks from behind" happen. Players are taught that these "checks" are wrong yet so many of the players try to sneak the check in.

The Husband and I pray with Kidlet Three before each hockey game for protection. We actually pray for both teams that they will play a fair game and that protection is there for both teams. Yet God gives all of us "choice". And despite our prayers for protection, players can choose to "check from behind" and now there is a life that is changed forever because of a choice.

Oh, my heart hurts and the tears are flowing for a boy and his family I'll never meet but I know their lives were changed in an instant. Please pray for them with me. And pray for the boy that gave the "check".

Amazingly sad tonight...just pray.

The Pajama Tradition

2012-01-04T23:11:00.000-06:00

The holidays are filled with traditions. Most families put up a Christmas tree. There are the traditional cookies that get baked. In my family, the Passed-Around-Pajamas are a tradition.

You can read about the beginning of the tradition HERE. That will get you up to speed.

Basically, Dad bought Mom The Pajamas for a Christmas present more than 10 years ago. Mom snuck them in my take-home box so I was stuck with them. The following Christmas I wrapped them up for my mom, again. She and I have gone back and forth giving each other those pajamas in a variety of crazy ways. A couple of times we deviated from the Christmas tradition and gave them at a different time during the year. As in the time I celebrated my 25-year anniversary at the work place and someone handed me a gift to open during the recognition party. It was the pajamas. My mom had sent them to a co-worker asking that I be given the box during our celebration! Oh that was embarrassing!

The Christmas of 2010 my mom hid the pajamas in my house. As she and I were planning my brother’s 50th birthday party we thought it would be fun to give him the pajamas. When I asked my mom if she was going to give him this famous gift she just giggled and said “haven’t you found them yet”? I hunted and hunted but couldn’t find where she had hidden them in my house. She finally gave me enough clues and I found them in between the box spring and mattress in the guest bed.

To surprise my brother I stuffed those pajamas full of newspaper. I enlarged a nice photo of my brother’s head until the picture was almost life-size. The “head” was cut out and glued onto a paint stick and the stick was shoved into the stuffed “body” of pajamas. It looked like a human! I drove Mr. Pajama Man to my brother’s city. Going into his place of business after hours, I set up Mr. Pajama Man in my brother’s desk, hung some signs and left town. The next morning when he arrived at work, he was quite surprised and speechless to see he was now the recipient of the pajamas.

Thankfully, Brother Al kept the tradition going this year. He wrapped those pajamas up in a very nice box for…..dad! The one that started this whole Pajama Tradition finally was the recipient of the gift!

I wonder where they will go next….

Impossible Pumpkin Pie - Gluten Free

2012-01-03T05:57:00.005-06:00

This recipe was given to me years ago by my mom. My youngest brother had diabetes and this recipe for Impossible Pumpkin Pie is sugar-free so it became the recipe we used. When Kidlet Three was diagnosed with diabetes, I started making this pie, too.

What I don't really understand is why someone would name this pie "Impossible". Like maybe it is impossible to screw up? Or it is impossible to not eat? This is the name that was on the recipe when my mom first made it and the name continues on today.

This year I changed the Impossible Pumpkin Pie to make it gluten free. It didn't change the taste and this was the pie I served at our Christmas meal. It doesn't have a flaky crust like you would expect on pie. The whole pie is the custard but Gluten-Free Bisquick holds it together.

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend well:

3/4 cup Splenda
1/2 cup Bisquick
2 T. olive oil
1 can low-fat evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt

My food processor was full to the top when I was done "processing".

Spray a big 10" pie plate with cooking spray. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie pan. The pan will be full!

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

This is what the baked pie will look like: Cool the pie and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

An amazingly easy pie that is creamy and delicious all by itself (although what is pumpkin pie without Cool Whip, right)?

Presence (and I am chatty)

2012-01-02T09:57:00.001-06:00

I am in a chatty mood. Maybe I feel chatty because I've been on vacation from my Outside-Of-The-House job for over a week. Or maybe it is because I've been in the house with two males and they don't talk as much? Whatever the reason, I filled my coffee cup before I sat at the computer and I intend on sipping my coffee and chatting with you.

Speaking of chatting, I drove to Prairie Woman's home on Saturday. She lives in between a corn field and a pig farm waaayyy out in the country. I believe I arrived around 10 a.m. and we sat at the kitchen table chatting. As women are able to do, we chatted while five of her seven children roamed through the room. We chatted while her oldest daughter made lunch for the little kids. We chatted through multiple cups of coffee and while munching on her homemade Pumpkin-Rice Flour-Chocolate Chip-Flaxseed muffins. In our chatting mode, we covered topics from: gluten-free spaghetti sauce, funny Christmas presents, politics, salsa dance classes, God, foster care, crocheting, and I’m sure a whole lot more. When we finally got to the place where we both took a breath and sat back in our chairs, I looked at the clock. It was close to 3 p.m. and I hadn’t moved out of the chair for five hours! It is true. We could talk that long because we did it.

Over the next few days I’ll be posting a few of the highlights from my Christmas week. I can tell I have been on vacation because I feel so relaxed and peaceful. I’ve done some cleaning, finished a crochet project, and even started reading a book. The Husband and I celebrated the New Year by having dear friends D and B over for supper. They even brought the soup! I made homemade bread and we sat around the table nibbling on warm bread with cheese, and chatting. They left just at 11 pm but The Husband and Kidlet Three and I sat up watching the Times Square Ball drop at midnight.

Time out…I need to go fill my coffee cup again. Do you need a refill? Did I tell you I have a turkey roasting in the oven? The aroma of baking turkey fills the air and I can’t wait for the mashed potato-gravy-stuffing-and-turkey meal I have planned for later.

I’m back. My favorite Max Lucado ‘thoughts for the day’ calendar had this inspiring and challenging message the other day. I want to share it with you because one of my desires this year is to know and acknowledge God wherever I am. Because He lives inside of me (I’ve asked Him to be my Lord and Savior) and because He is omnipresent, He is always with me. But sometimes I forget or I don’t pay attention. Or I allow myself to get focused on ‘things’ and I miss Him.

In my chatty mood this morning, I share this with you to ponder and mull over for your own life:

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“The upright shall dwell in Your presence.” Psalm 140:14

Lazarus was three days dead in a sealed tomb when he heard a voice and…saw Jesus…. God had followed him into death. Peter had denied his Lord and gone back to fishing when he heard his name and…saw Jesus cooking breakfast. God had followed him in spite of his failure.

God is the God who follows. I wonder…have you sensed him following you? We often miss him…. But he comes. Through the kindness of a stranger. The majesty of a sunset. The mystery of romance. Through the question of a child or the commitment of a spouse. Through a word well spoken or a touch well timed, have you sensed his presence?

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His Presence is all around us. Would you like to join me in asking God to help us “see Him” and His Presence more in 2012. If you don’t talk to God much, that is okay. Whisper it right now…God…I want to see You and know You are with me.

You and I are going to be amazed at where we see Him and how we see Him in these next days! Get ready!

Frozen Fruit Cups

2011-12-30T12:24:00.000-06:00

Deciding the menu for our Christmas meal was so fun for me. The main course was lasagna so the side dishes needed to be light and not heavy. Several years ago I found this easy recipe for frozen fruit cups. It was the perfect way to serve fruit alongside the lasagna.

2-10 oz. packages frozen strawberries or raspberries
2-6 oz. cans frozen orange juice, thawed
2-20 oz. cans crushed pineapple
1-16 oz. can mandarin oranges
1/3 cup lemon juice
6 bananas, sliced

Combine all ingredients. Do not drain fruit. Spoon mixture into muffin tins and freeze.

What was really a challenge was finding a way to stack three muffin tins in my above-the-refrigerator-freezer. Waffles and ice cream are a good support system for frozen fruit!

Remove from freezer about 30 minutes before serving.

This makes about 30 fruit cups.

I served ours in fancy parfait dishes.

I've enjoyed the left-overs for breakfast or mid-afternoon snacks. Seems I have to eat my fruit to get to my ice cream!

Swedish Hugs

2011-12-29T11:21:00.001-06:00

Cardamom cookies are one of the Christmas treats that have been a tradition in our family. My grandmother made candies and cookies each year that we considered ‘staples’ of our Christmas celebrations. Grandma passed away several years ago and many of those treats are no longer replicated. This year I decided to make Grandma’s Cardamom cookies.

Cardamom (also spelled cardamon) is a spice. Check the spice aisle in your local grocery store if you don’t have this in your spice collection.

Grandma handwrote copies of her favorite recipes for me. On the recipe card for these cookies, she wrote the name as “Swedish Hugs – Cardamom Cookies”. She never called them ‘Swedish Hugs’ so that made me giggle when I found the recipe card!

Swedish Hugs

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup softened butter

Cream the sugar and butter.

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream this together.

Sift together:
2 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. cardamom powder

Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture.

Add ¼ cup finely chopped pecans.

Cover and chill the dough 20 to 25 minutes.

Roll dough into small balls and place on the cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Gently press a fork into the ball to flatten. I sprinkled colored sugar on the cookies for ‘decoration’

Refrigerate the cookies on the cookie sheet until dough is firm.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.. Grandma wrote: don’t over bake.

Swedish Hugs! Enjoy these amazing bite-sized, spicy cookies!

Keep Your Focus

2011-12-28T10:58:00.000-06:00

Did you have a nice Christmas? Was it filled with love, joy and peace? Was it filled with wonder? My Christmas was filled with those qualities and it continues. It continues because I don’t believe Christmas is one big event that you “have” and then it is over.

Preparing for Christmas was different for me this year. I have at least nine tubs of decorations for the tree and every room of the house. Several weeks ago as I started pulling the tubs out, I realized that I didn’t have to put up all of the decorations. As I came to that conclusion, peace washed over me. I pulled out four tubs and decided that whatever was in those tubs would be the decorations for this year. Side note: thankfully the Christmas tree lights were in one of the tubs! In past years it took me hours to days to put out all of the decorations. This year’s simplicity took me just over an hour to put up decorations. The tree has lights and balls on it and is 'simply' beautiful!

Each of the gifts I chose to give this year was personal. I didn’t aimlessly wander through stores to buy something just to buy it. As I watched my family and friends open their gifts, love was in the room. It feels so good to give gifts that people ‘love’.

Christmas Eve was spent with The Husband’s family and joy was in the air. Christmas Day found my family traveling to my house for a day of festivities. Joy was in the air here, too. At each family gathering we were thankful to be together and enjoyed each other.

I totally understand how the Christmas season could become a burden. While riding the bus to work I heard stress in the words of the people sitting around me. Co-workers reported not getting everything done. Deadlines, crowds, travel, expectations, sickness and you know the rest; these things can cause stress and take the wonder out of this season.

If you felt stress over the past few weeks, may I give you a present today? Here it is:

Next year, keep your focus on what God did for you in every preparation for His Son’s birthday.

Every decoration you use in your home, every gift you purchase, every cookie you bake, every mile you travel is all to be done because Jesus was born. This is the season of celebration. Don’t forget: His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection. This season is about everlasting life!

I know that if you start praying now, asking Him to help you keep your focus on His birth, that next year’s Christmas will be filled with peace, joy, love and wonder. And what better gifts are those qualities to share with your family and friends! Believe me, you will have the most awesome Christmas if you keep your focus. I know, because I’m still celebrating!

THIS is what it is all about...

2011-12-22T15:47:00.000-06:00

No words are needed...click the picture...

Hanukkah

2011-12-21T22:36:00.000-06:00

Tonight is the second night of Hanukkah. Last night, we celebrated the beginning of Hanukkah with dear friends. Each year they celebrate this important festival as part of their heritage. We’ve had the privilege of celebrating with them for the past couple of years. The following will give you a simplified description of what Hanukkah is all about:

The holiday originated when Judah the Maccabee and his followers reclaimed the temple in the village of Modi'in from Syrian King Antiochus IV. The temple was cleansed and prepared for rededication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means "dedication." When the sacred temple Menorah (candelabra) was relit, there was only enough sacred oil to burn for one day. Yet, according to tradition, the oil miraculously lasted eight days until more purified oil could be found. In remembrance, a candle is lit each of the eight days of Hanukkah. Children receive gifts of gelt (in remembrance of the coins minted by the new independent Maccabee state) or money and play games of dreidel (a spinning four-sided top.) The tradition of receiving a gift on each of the eight days of Hanukkah is fairly recent. The holiday is commonly referred to as Hanukkah, or the more traditional spelling of Chanukah.

Three of the common traditions were incorporated into the evening’s activities: lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel and eating lots and lots of latkes.

Rabbi David Freedman brought his menorah and Rebecca, our hostess, had the family menorah. Rabbi David lit the tallest candle, called the Helper candle, and used it to light the first candle of Hanukkah. He sang a blessing in Hebrew as he lit the candle. It was a goose-bump moment for me to hear the Hebrew and hear the interpretation.

A popular Hanukkah game is spinning the dreidel, which is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters written on each side. Several dreidels were on the table for us to play with during our meal. Gelt, which are chocolate coins covered with tin foil, are part of this game. Dove chocolates were this year’s gelt.

Since Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil, it is traditional to eat fried foods such as latkes. Latkes are pancakes made out of potatoes and onions, which are fried in oil. We ate ours with sour cream and applesauce. Ooh la la we all ate lots and lots of latkes!

And then we played with the kids and enjoyed each other's company.

Shalom. Peace. God's peace is amazing. May you experience His peace during this Hanukkah season.

Rest Again and Again

2011-12-20T09:18:00.000-06:00

On December 1 I wrote this post on Rest.

Eight days later, on December 9, here is the devotional that appeared on our Max Lucado daily devotional:

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God knows us so well. He can see the store owner...thinking "Somebody needs to work that day. If I can't, my son will." So God says, nor your son. "Then my daughter will." Nor your daughter. "I guess I'll have to...find some stranger to help me." No, God says. One day of the week you will say no to work..and..rest. Still we object..but God silences...all [our objections]...[His] message is plain: "If creation didn't crash when I rested, it won't crash when you do."

Repeat these words after me: It is not my job to run the world.

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Yesterday, my December 19 devotional from Joyce Meyer had this message:

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Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Matthew 11:28

Getting stress out of your life takes more than prayer alone. You must take action to make changes and stop doing whatever is causing the stress. You can learn to calm down in the way you handle things.

Jesus invited us to come to Him if we are overburdened. He promised to refresh us if we are weary, worn out, or overworked. Take time to go to Jesus anytime you feel that you are going over the edge of peace and into the pit of stress. Let His presence refill and refresh you.

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I am not sure these messages are always for me. I feel REST these days. Perhaps there is one of you out there that reads my blog that needs to find REST. May these words be amazingly refreshing for you. May God reveal Himself to you in these words. Reach out to Him. Ask Him to give you the strength to make the changes you should be making to find REST.

God bless you!

Warmth in the Cold

2011-12-18T09:27:00.000-06:00

It has snowed here in The Frozen Tundra.

A beautiful carpet of white has been laid.

Along with the snow, comes cold weather.

We have a wood-burning fireplace in our home.

Last summer, The Husband found rotten wood under the non-permanent

siding on the chimney.

What a mess!

The dark places on the photo show water damage to the chimney.

We hired a repair crew and for two days in the fall, they pulled off damaged, water-logged wood and replaced it with nice wood (can wood be nice?). All of the work was done form scaffolding along the side of our house.

The work table for the team was set up along the boulevard. Some folks stopped looking for a cool drink since we had the kool-aid sitting on the table!

New, permanent siding was added to the chimney and it really looks nice.

With the cold weather here to stay for awhile,

I'm grateful our fireplace can be used to warm us up!

Where is Jesus

2011-12-16T12:29:00.000-06:00

Jesus is displayed throughout my house in Nativity sets.

But more importantly, He is displayed in the lives of my family.

Jesus is here.

Dancing With God

2011-12-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

The following is a word of encouragement that I've saved because it is a 'good word'. I wish I could remember where I first read it as I would like to give credit to whoever wrote it. May this be a blessing to you today:

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the Music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i." "God," "u" and "i" dance." God, you and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies will be upon you on this day and every day. May you abide in God as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

Hotel Adventure

2011-12-13T08:32:00.000-06:00

Kidlet Three's hockey team participated in a hockey tournament this past weekend in a Far-A-Way city. The city was So-Far-Away I had to take a day of vacation from work and Kidlet Three had to get out of school early so we could start the travels.

When we travel, we always over pack.

Always.

As we pulled out of town on Friday you would have found the following in the back of the van:

5 Deal or No Deal bags
4 bags of licorice
3 suitcases
2 hockey sticks
and one overstuffed hockey bag

Plus the huge tub of snacks and food, the CPAP machine for The Husband and a 12-pack of pop oh, and the laptop and the PS3 and the Christmas cards and...you name it, we probably had it!

Arriving and checking in at the hotel, we were given the keys to our second floor room. We grabbed the luggage carts from the front lobby and piled our bags onto it. Wheeling it back into the hotel we started the search for the elevator.

There was no elevator in the hotel!

All of our stuff had to be carried up the stairs in a multitude of trips. I guess the luggage cart was for the people on the first floor to use...

In our room I began organizing. I unpacked my suitcase and organized the other bags in the room. Then it was time to leave for the first of five tournament hockey games.

We arrived back to the hotel around 10:30 Friday night. The boys were allowed to mingle in the hallways until 11 p.m. by the hotel management. The Husband, Kidlet Three and I were tucked all snug in our beds by 11:30 p.m.

A short time later I was awakened with the words "OH NO...OH NO...OH NO" coming from the bathroom. Flying from the bed I arrived outside of the bathroom door to find The Husband standing in water that was pouring out of the toilet in a steady stream. The water was flowing toward the carpeted floor. "Grab the towels" I yelled at The Husband and the ran to telephone the front desk.

The front desk man brought a dozen towels and the toilet plunger. But the toilet didn't want to stop running and the water had to be turned off to the toilet. Thankfully, it was clean water! The front desk man was not able to fix the toilet so offered us a different hotel room.

At 12:45 a.m. we were all out of bed, grabbing the

5 Deal or No Deal bags
4 bags of licorice
3 suitcases
2 hockey sticks
and one overstuffed hockey bag

and all of the other stuff and we moved two rooms down the hallway.

I was amazed that none of us complained as we made the trips back and forth from the water-logged room to the new room. And finally so thankful to snuggle back into bed for an uneventful night's sleep.

It was definitely an AMAZING adventure to find a hotel with no elevator, to have a toilet overflow and to move rooms in the middle of the night.